Page 114 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #05

Tales
Tal

from the
h h h

A WILD WORLD OF
RIPPING YARNS

WHO?
MARK SULLIVAN
is a retired
geologist in
Aberdeen who
spends his time
travelling to find special
wildlife around the world.
WHAT?
CLOUDED LEOPARDS
WHERE? Chilled cat: a very
MALAYSIAN BORNEO relaxed female clouded
leopard stops and
yawns (inset) in front of
the tour group’s truck.

MARK STRIKES GOLD AFTER

SPENDING FOUR NIGHTS LOOKING
FOR A CLOUDED LEOPARD.

t was early June, and we were rattling had spent more than 24 days searching On the fifth night, we
along in the back of a pickup truck for clouded leopards without an encounter. returned to the area where
in the dark. A spotlight perched on Either the cats had become shyer than usual we’d had that frustratingly brief sighting, and
the roof of the cab was swinging following a disturbance, or a sighting was due. – bingo – we struck gold! Mike called for the
I hypnotically to and fro as we searched The plan was to spend up to eight hours vehicle to stop and there, strolling towards us
for mammals with tour leader Mike Gordon. a night searching the forest along the main on the track, was a female clouded leopard.
We were in Deramakot Forest Reserve, tracks. During the first three nights we saw Reaching the truck, she stopped and lay down
a 55,000ha commercial forest that was leopard cats and Philippine slow lorises, as by the front wheel to clean her paws.
first harvested for timber in the 1950s. But well as various squirrels and civets. On the She remained close for 15 minutes, while
since 1989 the Malaysian government’s fourth night, Mike and one other in our party we watched and photographed the most
forest department has managed the timber had the briefest view of a clouded leopard relaxed cat imaginable. Finally, she stood up
production as a sustainable resource, and the disappearing behind an impenetrable pile of and stretched before continuing along the
change from clear felling to selective logging logs. Would that be our only encounter, track where she disappeared into the forest.
and replanting has created an area which, I wondered – had I missed my chance? This individual was not one that was
though not pristine, is a haven for wildlife. Some recompense was provided by known to the research team in Deramakot,
The forest received accreditation from spotting a banded linsang, which was who use camera-traps to try and estimate the
the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in completely untroubled by our presence and reserve’s clouded leopard population. So the
September 1997, and has held this eco- curled up and went to sleep on a horizontal uncomfortable hours spent bouncing
certification for a longer period of time than vine. Linsangs are probably even harder to around in the cold and wet had not only
any other tropical forest in the world, and it find than clouded leopards. given us enormous pleasure, but the data
has a reputation for being one of and images we gathered have
the best places to see the elusive “THE CLOUDED LEOPARD WE SAW helped in some small way to
clouded leopard. reveal more about the behaviour
The news when we arrived AND PHOTOGRAPHED WAS NOT of these mysterious cats.
Mark Sullivan at our accommodation in the IN DERAMAKOT FOREST RESERVE.” O Do you have a tale that you would like
KNOWN TO THE RESEARCH TEAM
heart of the forest was not
to share? If so, please email a synopsis of
encouraging. The last person
your idea to james.fair@immediate.co.uk
114 BBC Wildlife Spring 2018